Uh oh.. does this mean my chickens are getting frostbitten?

[L*A*G*]

pics please!

 

[the1much]

vasalene will help with the dry combs,, but it wont do a thing about preventing frostbite,,, it just makes soft combs

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I dunno, I've met enough old timey chicken keepers who swear to have seen EVIDENCE that it works in their flocks, e.g. the ones they never got around to vaselining on a cold night were the only ones that had frostbit combs in the morning, that I'm willing to consider it pretty plausible and worth doing.

And, from a theoretical standpoint, keeping combs dry and with a vapor barrier (which vaseline does) certainly *could* help vs frostbite.

(e.t.a. - although in this particular case I was really suggesting vaseline just as a cure for dry skin!

)

JMHO,

Pat

 

[the1much]

wait for a cold day,, put some on 1 hand,, go outside ,,, bet you dont feel any difference in ya hand temp,,,, and the "temp" is the only thing that counts when talking frostbite,, its the cold that causes it,, it MAY keep their combs a degree warmer,, but that 1 degree isnt much help when its 20 degrees,, IMO ,, and its ONLY my opinion,, lol,,, and like butts,, it probably stinks

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
They all seem to be laying, I got 9 eggs today. I don't know who is laying each egg so I suppose a few might not be laying yet. I'm going to vaseline them anyway, just to be safe. I've got to put up some door stop on the front door and pop door, and put some insulation in where there are still open parts inside from closing up doorways and large window openings. In the spring we're putting some blown in rodent resistent insulation in the attic and walls of the coop to raise the R value, but right now there is a significant difference in the temps from outside to inside.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Hope you can see the comb! ... No one would stand still LOL. I had to get her to do the stomp dance so I could just take a photo!

I just had my brother help me, we vaselined all the combs just in case.

 

[Guitartists]

My La Fleche has some yellow/white along the edges of his HUGE wattles.... I'm certain it's from the cold. I think this spring I am going to dubb him and another roo I have with rather large comb. I think he will be much more comfortable next winter if I do..... I sooooo wish I had done it this year

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Not so. Evaporative cooling matters a lot. Go out there in really subfreezing temperatures with 1 wet hand and 1 dry hand, tell me which one turns hard and white first

Pat

 

[LynneP]

We're getting the same temps and though I offered to let the hens out today there were no takers, so I closed the pop door. The temp in the coop staying slightly below zero to -4C, and combs and feet seem fine. Honestly I have never seen weather so averse to animal husbandry. Seven major storms, Arctic conditions and more on the way. I met a woman at the hardware store today who has been without power for over 48 hours and her barn water lines are freezing and all electric waterers are frozen solid. She was buying a generator. In fact she bought the second-last one in the store, no more coming for another week to 10 days if they can get them.

Now I have a cold-hardy breed, and up until this 'winter hurricane' they were out every day but one. But now, when the temp hits -9C and/or I have wind chill to the -20's, they're *in*. Luckly I have lots of coop space and an amicable flock with a steady alpha girl. They're clucking contentedly and I have my answer to 'How cold is too cold' for my hens...

Oh Pat, wanted to add that when tissue is dry blood vessels more subject to loss of function, so the vaseline keeps the tissue moist, thus letting the blood vessels dilate and warm the combs...so the old-timers are right.

 

[patandchickens]

It doesn't look like frostbite to me (in the sense that i've had hens with combs look about the same, sort of white and scaly and pale-ish, without any further consequences whatsoever), but hopefully others with more experience of it will chime in.


Pat